The Interior Department is developing a new offshore leasing plan that it said will give the next administration a head start if it considers expansion of oil and gas drilling in federal waters.

Congress still would have to lift a moratorium that bans most offshore drilling to let the industry move into these areas.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said Wednesday that he has directed the Minerals Management Service, which oversees offshore oil and gas activity, to start soliciting public and official comments and conduct environmental impact studies as a first step in crafting a plan that includes potential lease sales in areas currently off limits.

A five-year plan in place now through 2012 has no provisions for lease sales in most areas covered by the congressional ban. Kempthorne said that if Congress decides to lift the ban, the revised plan would be in the works, allowing exploration and drilling to start in about three years.

President Bush lifted a presidential ban on offshore drilling in most areas off U.S. shores more than two weeks ago and called on Congress to lift its moratorium, which has been in place since 1982.

The agency will take comments on the public comment system of its Web site, www.mms.gov., or by mail at Five-Year Program Manager, Minerals Management Service (MS04010), 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Va., 20170.